38 HOUNDS. 



(III.) BEAGLES. 



There is no question but that the sport of hunting 

 the hare on foot with a pack of beagles is taking 

 yearly a stronger hold on the sport-loving present 

 generation. Some years ago now I kept and 

 hunted a pack of 15-inch beagles in a plough 

 country, and I often look back to those days as 

 some of the happiest recollections of my hunting 

 experiences. 



To run with a pack of beagles, one's heart must 

 be in the right place, as it is far from being an easy 

 task, and teaches men consideration for a tired 

 hunter in after-days. Many of the best houndmen 

 of the present day gladly acknowledge that they 

 learnt their first lessons in hunting by watching a 

 pack of beagles, and to lovers of houndwork a day 

 with a good pack of beagles wants a lot of beating. 



There appears to be almost as much difference of 

 opinion between admirers of the two sorts as tO' 

 what a beagle should be as there is in the harrier 

 world between the old and the modern harrier. 



There is the smart little hound, with good legs 

 and feet, that we see win at Peterborough, and the 

 broad-chested, short-necked one that others prefer 

 and call the true type. The old argument against 

 the former is that it is a miniature foxhound, and 

 probably can own to some harrier-foxhound blood 

 in past generations. But, as far as my judgment 

 goes, the same ruling can be applied here as in the 



